LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County Blues Allstars are bringing great music to a venue near you this month.

The group, including Mike Wilhelm and Jim Williams on guitar, and Jon Hopkins on bass, will be joined by Neon, just back from her southwest tour.

On Thursday, Aug. 9, the group will play at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, 3825 Main St., Kelseyville. The show starts at 7 p.m. For information, call the Saw Shop at 278-0129.

Then, on Aug. 20 and 27, the band will perform at a new Lake County tradition – “Blues Mondays” at the Blue Wing Saloon, 9520 Main St., Upper Lake. The show takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. For information call the Blue Wing Saloon, 275-2233.

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LAKEPORT – Persistence paid off Tuesday, both for Lakeport Cinema 5 manager Justin Hamaker and the Lake County residents who've been asking him to run Michael Moore's “Sicko.”

The documentary compares the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and relates HMO horror stories.

Fans who had made the request by phone and on the theater's Web site received this message Tuesday afternoon from Hamaker: “I have good news for all of you who requested we play Sicko! It will be opening this Friday, Aug. 3, for a one week-engagement.

“The only way we could accommodate Sicko was to bring it in for a single matinée showing each day at 12:15. I realize this may not be an ideal time for all of you, but the only other alternative was to not play it at all,” Hamaker reported.

He added, “I would like to ask each of you to spread the word so we can maximize attendance each day. With your help we can send a message to Michael Moore and Lionsgate that even small communities like Lakeport are interested in documentaries and other small films.”

The requests and the booking are a sequel to Lake County's booking of “Fahrenheit 911,” which also took a campaign of requests to bring it to Lakeport.

On July 22, the fans received this message from Hamaker: “You are receiving this message because you requested Sicko through our web site. We realize you are still waiting for us to bring Sicko to Lakeport. I can assure you we are trying to find a weekend to bring it in. However, we are in the midst of a summer season which has more releases than we can keep up with. Just this weekend we had to pass on Hairspray which made an estimated $27.8 million nationwide. Unfortunately the situation won't improve soon as there are about 12 new major releases in the next four weeks.

"With Sicko the problem is complicated by a continued lackluster performance in theaters,” Hamaker reported. “This weekend Sicko opened in 361 new theaters but still only made an estimated $1.9 million nationwide – which is down 27 percent from the previous weekend despite playing in almost 50-percent more theaters. In fact, we opened Sicko at our sister theater in Paradise and had less than 100 people total for Friday and Saturday.

“At this point, the most likely scenario for us playing Sicko is to bring it in for one week when it can share a screen with another movie – meaning Sicko would have just two to three showings per day. Unfortunately, being in a small market and only having five screens greatly limits our ability to play special interest films like Sicko – especially when the filmmaker and studio choose a limited release at a time of year when the market is overwhelmed with major blockbuster pictures.”

Variety's Alissa Simon wrote Sicko is “an affecting and entertaining dissection of theAmerican health care industry, showing how it benefits the few at the expense of the many. Pic's tone alternates between comedy, poignancy and outrage as it compares the U.S system of care to other countries.”

The Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com, reported that as of July 22 Sicko had grossed $19 million.

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LAKEPORT – Locals and visitors alike can look forward to warm temperatures and two hours of blues and rock music this afternoon at Lakeport's Library Park.

Featured at this evening's installment of the Summer Concerts in the park are Levi Lloyd and The 501 Band.

KNTI's Eric Patrick and friends head the list of sponsors for the 19th year of the free concerts.

Bring your bag of silly items for the mid-show giveaway of treats and goodies provided by local businesses.

The concert begins at 6:30 p.m.

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LOWER LAKE – The Tuscan Village's Friday Night Concert Series has talented local musicians scheduled to perform in the coming weeks.

Travis Austin, a local classical guitarist, will be perform this Friday, Aug. 3. Phil Mathewson, local singer and songwriter, performs Aug. 10.

Performances run from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission to the concerts is free.

2 Goombas deli serves dinner or bring your own picnic for the concert in the vineyard. Wine tasting is available at the winery.

The Tuscan Village is located on Main Street in historic Lower Lake right near the post office. Call 2 Goombas Deli, 994-3354, for more information.

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LAKEPORT – Local author Marilyn Andersen Brown will sign copies of her book, Route 66 to Mojave, this Friday at Watershed Books.

The book signing will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Route 66 to Mojave is a nonfiction story about an Oklahoma family and their struggles during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression era.

Having suffered and survived the ravages of tuberculosis, Oklahoma natives Ed and Lillie Brown are determined to raise their family. Leaving friends and family and everything familiar behind, they pack up their children and belongings and make the long journey on Route 66 to Mojave, California.

Soon after they leave for California, World War II begins. The children don't concern themselves with hard times and Ed and Lillie's young son, Charles, and his friends have one adventure after another.

Route 66 to Mojave delivers an unvarnished look at life during the Depression and World War II. The Brown family's triumphs and heartaches create a timeless story, brimming with human emotion.

Author Marilyn Brown lives on a ranch near Kelseyville with her husband, Charlie, who is one of the main characters of this story.

Watershed Books is located at 305 N. Main St., Lakeport, telephone 263-5787.

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LOWER LAKE – The Tuscan Village Friday Night Concert series in Lower Lake featured Dennis Purcell, local folk singer, performing a variety of music for the capacity crowd on July 27.

His performance ran the gamut from old American folk songs to Broadway tunes, like Summertime, which had the audience singing along.

His rendition of obscure Bob Dylan songs went over very well as did the Beatles tunes, which were well-remembered by the mostly baby-boomer crowd. Even the children seemed entranced.

Since the seating consists of picnic tables, it is limited and getting there early is a must.

The Aug. 3 concert will feature Travis Austin, local classical guitarist. The Aug. 10 concert will showcase Phil Mathewson, local song writer-musician and his friends. You never know who will be playing with Phil when he invites local musicians from the audience onto the stage. The concert runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The Tuscan Village is located on Main Street in historic Lower Lake right near the post office. Call 2 Goombas Deli, 994-3354, for more information.

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